Toy cannon.



c. L. WOOD. a

TOY CANNON.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. 1908.

936,689. Patented 0ct.12,1909= V Z \\\\\M; k I PIQZIZEJJBJ- 4. in van for azzawvaz F1 5 uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu .c

UNITED sharps PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES Wow, 1" WI HRQ rass'ac rsrr TOY .oA NoN.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. WOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing in \Vinthrop, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Toy Cannon,.of which the following description,- in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like lettors on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a toy and is herein shown as embodied in, a cannon, which is capable of being raised into firing position and to be lowered from said position after the missile, such as a ball or marble, has been ejected from the cannon, to obta'in the effect of a disappearing gun or cannon. To this end the cannon is mounted on a base in a manner as will :be described, to permit it to be raised and lowered with relation to said .base, and provision is made for automatically placing the ejecting mechanism in its operative condition at or about the time the cannon has reached its elevated or firing position. The ejecting mechanism consists of a plunger located in the boreof the cannon and movable with relation :to .an inlet opening at the breech thereof, and a tension device or spring which is located outsideof said bore and operatively connected with the said plunger. Provision is made for holding the spring in its extended position until released as will bedescribed. These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is'a side elevation of a toy .can-

non embodying this invention showing the same in its lowered position. Fig. 2, a side elevation of the cannon in its elevated or firing position. Fig. 3 a view like Fig.- 2 with the ejector mechanism released. Fig. 4, a plan of Fig. 3. :Fig. 5, a longitudinal section on the line 55,'Fig. 4, and Fig. 6-, a detail to be referred to.

Referring to thedrawings, (t represents a toy cannon, which maybe of woodor other suitable material, andis provided with ,a bore 1) and with an inletopening 0 for-the balls or other missiles or shots, not herein shown, but which may be of wooehglass or other suitable material.

The cannona is mounted upon a base d and is bodily movable with relation to the same, so as-to be elevated into its firing posi tion represented in Fig. 2, or to be loweredinto its normal position shown in Fig.1, so

Specification of Letters iatnt. Application filed. April 29', 19O 8.

Patented Oct. 12, 1909. s ia o- 429. 7

as to obtain the effect of a disappearing cannon .or gun. a

In the present instance the cannon a has pivoted to its opposite sides, as at 0, one end of two sets of links .or bars f, g, which are pivoted .at their opposite ends to the base (Z, as at 7);. Provision is made for turning the links or bars f, g, on their pivots it so as to elevate the cannon, and for this purpose the cannon has pivotally connected with it, at .2', one end of .a rearwardly extended link j,--whose other end is pivoted, as at is, to one end of :a lever m, which is mounted on a pivot pin a, supported in the present instance by .uprights or blocks 0, erected upon the base cl and separated from each other by a space p in which the lever on moves. The lower end of the lever m extends into a slot rint'he .base (Z in line with the space 39 (see Fig. 5), and theupper end of the said lever extends above the supporting blocks 0. The lever m may and preferably will be made .so as .to' have an opening 10 through whicha trigger orreleasi ng device is passed,

and which is shown "as a wire rod 12 having its rear .end bent to form a catch 13, which issadapted to engage a pin 14 carried by the lever m and extended across the opening 10 therein. The front end of the trigger 12 is extended ,through a cap 15 closing the rear end of the cannon, and into a chamber or ;space 1.6 located :below the bore 6 of the cannon and communicating therewith by a slot .117, through which projects a portion of an ejector for the ball or other missile, not shown.

Theejector may and preferably will be made .as herein shown and consists of a cylinder201of wood Qfits the bore 1) .of the cannon and is engaged with .a carrier, comprising as herein (see Figs. 5

shown wire rod 22 located in the bore Z) 1 and ifitte'dinto a. longitudinally extended groove 23 in .the top of theejector cylinder 20, and bent at its front end to form a de pending arm 24 which passes down into the chamber :16 and engages a vertical groove in the front face of the said cylinder, and which is'bent to form an arm 26 extended from thellowerend of the arm 24 substantially parallel with the-rod 22, and which in turn isbent to form an upright arm 27 extended up through the slot 17 into the bore?) behind the cylinder and substantiallyengaging the rear end thereof (see Fig. so as to practically attach the rod and 6), which 22 to the cylinder 20 to move as one piece. The rod 22 serves as a support for the balls in the inlet opening 0 and is made of suflicient length to extend through the cap 15 and serve as a guide for the ejector. The arm 27 has engaged with it the inner end of the trigger rod 12, and the arm 24 has engaged with it one end of a tension device or spring 30, which is located in the chamber 16 and has. its front end engaged with a pin or projection 81 on the wall of the chamber 16, which latter may be provided with a removable bottom 33 of metal.

From the above description it will be seen, that the operating lever on is connected by the link to the rear end of the cannon, so that by turning the lever backward or in the direction indicated by the arrow 40, the cannon is raised from the position shown in Fig. 1 into that shown in Fig. 2, the supporting links 7", g, turning on their pivots h. The lever m, may be limited in its backward movement by means of a stop, shown as a pin85 extended across the space 19 between the supporting blocks 0, and with which the lower end of the lever an is adapted to enlI Vhen the lever m has been brought into engagement with its stop, the cannon is at such time raised into its firing position represented in Fig. 2. The lever m on its backward movement engages the catch 13 of the trigger and carries the latter backward with it, thereby moving the ejector from substantially the position shown in Fig. 5 in front of the ball entrance opening a back of the same and toward the rear end of the cannon, so as to uncover the entrance opening 0 and permit a ball or other missile in the opening 0 to drop into the bore of the cannon in front'of the ejector. On the backward movement of the ejector, the spring 30 is extended or placed under tension and is maintained in this condition as long as the trigger remains in engagement with the pin 14: on the lever m, when the latter is in its rearward position shown in Fig. 2. As soon as the ball has been placed in the cannon as described, it may be ejected therefrom by releasing the trigger from the operating lever, which may be effected by the operator lifting up on the free end of the trigger so as to disengage the catch 13 from the pin 14, and when this takes place, the spring 30 contracts and moves the ejector forward with a quick motion so as to discharge the ball from thecannon. After the ball or shot has been fired as above described, the operator releases the lever m, which permits it to be moved forward into the position shown in Fig. 1, by the cannon being lowered by gravity from its elevated or firing position into its lowered or inoperative position, which'gives to the cannon the effect of a disappearing gun. To still further emphasize this effect, an upright wall, not shown, may be erected in front of the cannon and of such height as to conceal the cannon in its lowered position, but which is cleared by the cannon when in its elevated position.

By varying the length of the links or bars f, g, the muzzle of the cannon may be inclined or depressed as desired, and I prefer to make the front links slightly longer than the rear links so as to obtain a slight elevation of the muzzle, which insures the ball being kept by gravity in engagement with the ejector until the latter is operated.

I have herein shown one construction of apparatus embodying this invention, but I do not desire to limit myself to the particular construction herein shown.

Claims.

1. In a toy of the character described, in combination, a base, a cannon, movable supports for the cannon connected with the said base, means to raise and lower the cannon, an ejector, a spring to move said ejector in one direction, a trigger attached to the said ejector to effect movement of the ejector in an opposite direction, and actuated by the means employed to elevate the cannon, substantially as described.

2. In a toy of the character described, in combination, a base, a cannon connected with said base to be supported thereby and to be raised and lowered with relation thereto, an ejector located in the bore of said cannon, a tension device for said ejector located outside of the bore of the cannon, and means to raise said cannon from said base and into its firing position, substantially as described.

3. In a toy of the character described, in combination, a base, a cannon connected with said base to be supported thereby and to be raised and lowered with relation thereto, an ejector located in the bore of said cannon, mechanism to raise the cannon into its firing position, and a trigger governing the movement of said ejector and cooperating with said mechanism to be operated thereby, sub stantially as described.

4. In a toy of the character described, in combination, a cannon having a bore, an ejector in said bore, a guide for said ejector extended through the rear of the cannon, a tension device located outside of said bore and connected with the ejector to move the latter in one direction, and means independent of said guide to move said ejector in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

v5. In a toy of the character described, in combination, a cannon provided with a bore and with an inlet opening near its rear end communicating with said bore, an ejector located in said bore, a tension device to normally hold the ejector in front of the inlet opening, means to guard the inlet opening against the passage of a missile into the bore behind the ejector, means to move said llt" ejector toward the rear of the cannon to permit a missile to be deposited in front of the ejector, and means to move the ejector in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

6. In a toy of the character described,- in combination, a cannon, a movable support therefor, a link having one end connected to said cannon, and a lever to which the other end of the link is connected to raise and lower the cannon, substantially as described.

7. In a toy of the character described, in combination, a cannon provided with a bore, mechanism for raising said cannon into its firing position, an ejector in the bore of said cannon, a tension device to move said ejector in one direction, and a trigger actuated by the said mechanism for moving the ejector in opposition to said tension device, substantially as described.

8. In a toy of the character described, in combination, a cannon, links supporting said cannon, an actuating lever connected with said cannon to elevate the same into its firing-position, an ejector for the missile, a tension device to move the ejector, and means to effect movement of the ejector in opposition to said tension device, substantially as described.

9. In a toy of the character described, in combination, a cannon provided with a bore, an inlet opening near its rear end, and a chamber below said bore, an ejector movable in said bore, a carrier for said ejector having a guide rod extended through the rear end of the cannon in line with the bore, and having a portion extended into said chamber, a spring in said chamber connected with said ejector, a trigger extended into said chamber and connected with said ejector, and means for raising said cannon into its firing position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES L. IVOOD.

Witnesses:

JAS. H. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY. 

